The WVU Department of Intercollegiate Athletics is committed to the promotion of the academic achievement of student-athletes as well as their athletic accomplishment and their personal and career development.
Department staff members work with coaches, on-campus student service providers and faculty to help student-athletes meet the unique demands of the classroom, the sporting arena, and the personal-social challenges they face as developing adults. Academics have been at the forefront of the success enjoyed by the Mountaineer athletic programs.
Opened in 2007, the $1.3 million Coliseum Academic Performance Center is one of the best of its kind in the country. The leadership gift for the facility was provided by former Mountaineer great Jerry West and his wife Karen. The West's gift to the Coliseum Academic Performance Center is in memory of Jerry's brother, David, who was killed during the Korean Conflict, and in honor of his long-time friend and WVU teammate Willie Akers and wife, Linda.
The 8,000-square-foot Academic Performance Center is six times larger than the previous space. It provides individual and group study areas as well as a state-of-the art computer lab, which can be utilized by more than 450 male and female student-athletes. In 2016 and 2017, the center was renovated to provide eight private tutor rooms, a math and writing Center, a testing center, and an enhancement resource center.
